Western New England University is not only made up of terrific students, but is also made up of terrific faculty to guide students through their four years on campus. These staff members dedicate their time and energy to the success of the Golden Bear community, and one specific individual that completely exceeds her duties and leaves long-lasting impacts on students is Coach Jennifer Kolins.
Next year will mark Kolins’ twentieth year as the Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach for Western New England University. However, her tendency to leave positive marks on the lives of people around her did not just start here.
Kolins grew up in an inner city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She began her tennis career at a young age as a member of the National Junior Tennis League of Philadelphia, where she played at a local playground. From there, she was chosen to attend a program at the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis Center. “This was a program for inner-city kids to help them stay in school, reach their goals and use tennis as a vehicle to get there,” she recalls. It was during her time in this program where Kolins dreamed of one day being a tennis coach.
Arthur Ashe, a professional tennis player and icon at the time, would visit them and not only give on-the-court guidance and instruction, but would also speak of life lessons and skills. Kolins also shared that Billie Jean King, a female tennis star who broke many normalities for women athletes in the 1970, came to speak to them. “She became a role model for me and countless girls and women who wanted to play sports,” Kolins states.
Kolins attended the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts as an instrumental music major. She played four instruments, and with that, her high school career was full of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. She recalls playing for the Mayor’s inauguration as well as for the presidential train, which stopped in Philadelphia in the early 90’s. “I have a true inspiration for the value of the arts and was fortunate to have the experience to learn from each other being an athlete at an arts school,” Kolins shares.
After high school, Kolins received an athletic scholarship from the University of Hartford to play Division I Tennis, where was she the captain of the team for three years. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication and minored in Sports Marketing, and later received her Masters Degree in Coaching and Athletics Administration from Concordia University Irvine in Southern California.
It was during her time as a student at the University of Hartford that Kolins debuted her coaching career. She coached the Boy’s Tennis Team at Watkinson High School in West Hartford for four years, and later went full-circle as she became the graduate assistant coach for the University of Hartford Women’s Tennis Team. In addition, she was a teaching pro at Simsbury Tennis Club and Hop Meadow Country Club, both in Simsbury, Connecticut. She also was the tennis director and teaching pro at Crestview Country Club in Agawam, Massachusetts.
However, Kolins wasn’t fully content where she was at the time, and she still had higher hopes for her career as a coach. “I knew that I wanted to coach at a DIII school because of the ability to ‘coach beyond the courts,’” recalls Kolins, “Some people think there is a big difference between DI and DIII but the reality is that the level is strong in both, and the commitment level, work ethic, and motivation is the same. The major difference to me is the ability to be more involved in leadership opportunities outside of the classroom and the court.”
With that goal in mind, Kolins was attracted to Western New England University, and that is where she was finally able to live out her dream of being a collegiate level tennis coach. She is currently in her nineteenth season of coaching both Men’s and Women’s Tennis. In 2001-2003, she was the GNAC Coach of the Year for three straight years. In 2003, she led the Women’s Tennis Team through an undefeated season, which was the first undefeated season in Western New England College’s history at the time.
That is only one of the many things that Kolins juggles on campus, however. She spreads her time across many different programs and organizations as well. She is the co-advisor for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, where student athletes come together to have a voice in the NCAA, as well as is the community outreach coordinator for athletics.
Kolins has also been involved in the Diversity Task Force and helps run the Step Up program, which is a NCAA program annually presented to all incoming freshman. Herself along with Dean Yvonne Bogle received training for this program in Arizona ten years ago. “That is a program that is very important to me, because sometimes it is hard for all of us to know what to do in certain situations, but it helps to give our students tools to empower them to enhance the safety and integrity of their environment both on and off campus,” she shares.
In addition, she alongside the Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams have started the Moving on Up for Tennis and Education Program here in Springfield. This is also a part of the National Junior Tennis League, which is where Kolins was first introduced to the sport as a young girl. “It has been very cool to be able to pay-it-forward,” says Kolins.
With everything Kolins does on campus and everyone she comes in contact with, she is able to find great joy. “I am passionate about everything that I do on campus, because of the people that I am surrounded by,” she states. She also shares that two words that drive her every day are believe and inspire. “Believing that anything is possible regardless of the obstacles, and that it is as important to be inspired as it is to inspire.”
Jennifer Kolins is one of the driving forces being the success of Western New England University as a whole, but she is nothing but humble when it comes to sharing her story. “The faculty and staff have been tremendous resources to me and the students that I work with, and I have been truly inspired by the students that I have worked with for the past 19 years,” she says. “I could not be more proud to call myself a Golden Bear.”
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